The use of fastening systems on disposable absorbent products, such as diapers, training pants, adult incontinent products, feminine care products, and the like, is well known. These fastening systems include pins, ties, buttons, snaps, adhesives, and mechanical fastening systems. Key performance requirements of such fastening systems include a balance of maintaining the position of the absorbent products during use and low/no impact on the garments that the fastening system comes into contact with or utilizes during the use of the absorbent product.
Refastenable mechanical fastening systems such as Velcro®-style hook and loop mechanical fastening systems are well known in the art. Typically, such fastening systems involve two major components, a male component and a female component that when engaged can hold two substrates together. The male component typically includes a backing material with a number of protruding hook elements that are designed to engage with a number of loops on a complimentary female component. These hook elements protruding from the backing material of the male component typically consist of a base, a shank and an engaging means in the form of a hook, a cap, a spherical/hemi-spherical shape, a flat top, etc. Generally, a loop fastening material comprises fibrous loops protruding from the backing material and is capable of engaging the above-described male component of a mechanical fastener.
When the mechanical fastening system becomes engaged, a hook element penetrates the loop fastening material and either engages or intercepts fibrous loops of the loop fastening material. This results in a mechanical interference and physical obstruction which prevent the removal of hook material from the loop material until the separation forces, usually in the form of either peel or shear forces, exceed a certain threshold. After this, the disengagement of a mechanical fastener occurs resulting in separation of the hook component and the loop component. Furthermore, the separation forces being applied to the loop material during the disengagement stage can result in loop breakage, fiber pull-out and fiber string-out, fuzzy marks on the loop material etc., up to mechanical tear of the loop material.
The common way to avoid these problems is to use a female component of a mechanical fastening system that is specifically designed to engage with a particular male component and thus possesses a necessary mechanical strength, fiber strength, fiber thickness, and/or a particular fiber bonding pattern, in order to prevent the above-mentioned problems. Examples of suitable loop materials include Velcro® brand loop materials sold by Velcro USA of Manchester, N.H., stitchbonded fabric sold by the Milliken & Company of Spartanburg, S.C., or a loop material available from Guilford Mills, Inc., Greensboro, N.C. under the trade designation No. 36549. Another suitable loop material can comprise a pattern un-bonded web as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,515 issued on Jan. 12, 1999 to Stokes et. al. The fact that the dual surface (i.e., two separate surfaces) is required to enable hook and loop style mechanical fastener makes it a costly material, decreases flexibility of mechanical fastening system, and therefore creates limitations for its use.
Mechanical fastening systems have been devised which provide for repeated refastening as well as being lightweight and secure. Hook and loop type mechanical fastening systems, such as Velcro-style fasteners, are well known in the art. Such fastening systems involve two major components, a male component and a female component. The male component typically includes a backing material with a number of protruding hooks that are designed to engage with a number of loops on a complimentary female component. The hooks protruding from the backing material of the male component typically project perpendicularly to the direction of fastener shear force. The hooks typically have a base, a shank, and an engaging means in the form of a hook, cap, or spherical or hemispherical shape. Generally, loop fastening materials will comprise loops, fibers, or the like with the engaging elements of the hook fastening material can become entangled.
When the mechanical fastening system is fastened and shear force acts upon the fastening system, the hooks pull toward the direction of fastener force. As the hooks are pulled which can result in the hooks releasing the loops, the mechanical fastening system may become unfastened as a final result. Furthermore, the fastener force applied to the loops during disengagement may result in damage to the loops, such as loop breakage, fiber pull-out and string-out. Furthermore, the male component often produce red-marking and irritation if brought into contact with a person's skin, such as an infant's skin in contact with a male component of a diaper mechanical fastening system.
There is a need or desire for a male component of a mechanical fastening system that is capable of remaining fastened to a female component under effective levels of shear force while not damaging or distorting the female component.
There is a need or desire for a more universal male component of a mechanical fastening system that is capable of engaging into a wide variety of different potential female components, such as fabrics used in garment manufacturing, e.g. knitted fabrics, woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, and the like. There also is a need or desire for a male component of a mechanical fastening system that is capable of remaining fastened to an above-specified group of female components under in-use levels of shear force while not damaging or distorting the female component. There is also a need or desire for a male component that is capable to release or disengage from the female component under the effective levels of peel force during disengagement while not damaging or distorting the female component. There is also a need or desire for a male component that can be securely re-attached to the female component after disengagement.
There is also a need or desire for a male component of a mechanical fastening system that reduces or eliminates the occurrence of red-marking and/or irritation if brought into contact with a person's skin.